A Vision of Students Today tells the story of a typical college student. When you walk into a university classroom, what do you see? Yes, you will see graffiti on the walls and chairs from previous students who sat there and were bored. After the first couple of meetings, you will also see empty seats from students who came the first three or four meetings to get a feel of what to expect from the teacher. Then, if you actually stay to hear the lecture what do you see with the students that actually stay in class? If the teacher were to walk around, they would see students on Facebook, twitter, texting, doodling, or even sleeping. Why is it that college students pay their money to come to class to be on social media sites, text or even sleep in class?
We live in a technology world and the mere thought of coming to class and listening to a professor lecture exactly what is a textbook, is absurd. What is the purpose of even coming to class when I can read on my own with the $200 textbook that I can download online 75% cheaper? Not only do the professors require these expensive textbooks, but also half of the professors never use them. The professor comes in and may say, "Wow, half the class decided to take a short vacation," but I wonder why. Why should I come to your class when you do not even know my name after seven meetings, but you still want me to come to your class and let you tell me what I have already read the night before? Instead of lecturing to me let me be engaged in my own education, I have been lectured to for thirteen years. However, I do not need to come to a university to pay over $5,000 per year to hear you tell me what I can read on my own or to tell me things that will be outdated by the time I graduate. Please allow me the chance to make a difference through blogging and collaborating. If I am given the chance, the product of my blogs and collaboration will speak for itself. However, as a professor, you should serve as my coach if I need help along the way.
A Vision of Students Today is a video created by Kansas State University that tells a story from the student’s point of view. This video could be a tool to inform professors and the university president, that it is time for a change. For a four-year degree, students pay at least $20,000 and more than half of the students are in debt by the end of graduation. The students are expressing how they feel about buying expensive textbooks that are only used once or twice, however, some are not used at all, but they have to be purchased in order to receive a passing grade. The video could also be an outcry for teachers, professors, or presidents of universities to realize college students need as much as interaction as other students in class. College students have sat in their seats long enough, listening to lectures, but they come to college for some hands on experience in their field of study. College is a place to get students prepared for the job sector, but how are they preparing students for the job sector without the interaction; therefore, this video is a campaign for a better education and learning environment for students.
Upon graduating high school, I thought I was finish sitting in a desk five days a week listening to a teacher talk about the chapter of the week, but I was wrong. When I walked in my first college classroom, I was shocked. The classroom had desks, and the teacher stood in front of the class and lectured just like in high school. Students should not have to take out loans to pay for an education to listen to teachers read items directly from a power point, but instead pay to get hands own experiences. Colleges and universities should integrate an environment where students are learning new things through experiences and being actively involved in the learning process.
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